Power Ranking All 50 States by Their College Football Teams

When it comes to college football, not all states are created equal. There are 125 FBS college football teams scattered throughout the country, but what state has the best college football heading into the 2013 season?

There are a few states not even fortunate enough to have a college football team, while there are plenty of schools with multiple teams.

The college football offseason can bring about a variety of topics, with bragging rights at stake all over the place.

Why not bring the teams in each state together for the right to talk some trash?

Here is a ranking of all 50 states based on their 2013 college football teams.

*Number of schools in a state does not necessarily help or hurt ranking

No. 34 West Virginia

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Teams: West Virginia Mountaineers, Marshall Thundering Herd

Just a few years ago, this state would have been much higher, but given how much the Mountaineers struggled last season and the fact that they will likely be even worse this season, the West Virginia teams rank much lower.

The Mountaineers lost a lot of talent from a team that only won seven games a year ago.

Marshall, on the other hand, has been irrelevant for quite some time but did manage to win five games last season.

No. 33 Washington

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Teams: Washington Huskies, Washington State Cougars

While the Huskies have certainly held up their fair share of the pie in recent years, the Cougars most certainly have not.

Washington did win seven games last season and will likely be even better in 2013. Washington State, on the other hand, only totaled three wins and continues to finish near the bottom of the Pac-12 every season.

No. 29 Iowa

These are two average teams that appear headed for the middle of their respective conferences.

Even though Iowa only won four games last season, the Hawkeyes have a chance to bounce back in 2013 with better play from the quarterback position.

Iowa State has a ton of talent to replace, but head coach Paul Rhoads has done an excellent job so far with this team. Look for the Cyclones to be right on the cusp of a third consecutive bowl appearance.

No. 26 Virginia

Both of these teams were down last season, but look for some improvements in 2013.

The Hokies still managed seven wins and a bowl victory. The return of quarterback Logan Thomas should help immensely, particularly if he can have the season he did as a sophomore.

Virginia, however, struggled mightily on the offensive side of the ball. Look for that to continue this season, but there should be enough on defense to improve from the four wins it posted a season ago.

No. 11 Illinois

The emergence of teams such as Northwestern and Northern Illinois allows this state to nearly crack the top 10.

Northwestern posted 10 wins last season and should be right around that level once again in 2013.

Northern Illinois won 12 games last season, including qualifying for the Orange Bowl. While it is hard to imagine that type of season in 2013, quarterback Jordan Lynch will return for his senior season.

Illinois has been awful in recent years, and it might be some time before this team gets it back on track, after finishing last season 2-10.

No. 5 South Carolina

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Teams: South Carolina Gamecocks, Clemson Tigers

Even though there are only two FBS teams from South Carolina, that does not stop this state from cracking the top five.

South Carolina and Clemson are both perennial powers and will be hovering around the top 10 when the season opens. There is a chance that these two teams could be near the top of the country all year long.